Thursday, April 27, 2006

14k Gold Jewellery

14k gold jewellery is available almost everywhere and you can certainly find some excellent pieces to suit your taste and budget.

Here are some important points to remember to look after your 14 carat gold jewellery.

Firstly, it is not advisable to wear your gold jewellery 24 hours a day. Many of the substances we put on our skin can affect the gold and the quality of the piece. Hand lotions, make up, perfumes and especially hair spray can have an effect on the gold and other metal that is mixed with it. For 14 carat gold is not pure gold. It has been mixed or alloyed with other metals such as silver and bronze, for example, to increase hardness and durability.

Also when cleaning do not use any bleach or chlorine as that will oxidize the metal and cause it to go black. Warm soapy water and well rinsed and dried afterwards is much better and will keep your gold clean and in pristine condition. Always ensure your gold jewellery is fully dry before putting it away. Often clasps and other joining areas are made of other metals which may rust if water is left to pool. When swimming in a chlorinated swimming pool ensure you remove your gold jewellery first.

Each 14k gold jewellery piece should ideally be stored separately. Diamonds can scratch gold so do not store gold with diamonds or other gems where they are loose and can move around.

When choosing 14k gold jewellery, pick something that will enhance your personality and perhaps even make a fashion statement if you are so inclined. Whatever you budget is go to the top of it and try and get a piece that is good quality. A small good quality piece of 14 karat gold jewellery is much better than a big cheap piece and it shows.

If you keep in mind the above points you are sure to enjoy your 14k gold jewellery.